2007 West End SANFL Media Awards

[Rushby Hinds]

19 October 2007 2 Pages
MEDIA RELEASE
2007 WEST END SANFL MEDIA
AWARDS
- WINNERS ANNOUNCED -
The 2007 West End SANFL Media Awards were hosted at the Norwood Concert Hall this
evening.

Awards were presented in the following categories: pictorial, editorial, commentary and television
coverage.
Tonight’s award winners included:

Best Print Feature Story –

Michelangelo Rucci & Peter Cornwall from The Advertiser for “The Passing of a Legend”

Best Television Interview, Feature or News Report –

Nicki Barnet from Network Ten for “Charlie”

Best Action Photograph –

Matt Turner from The Advertiser for “Mud Wrestle”

Best Commentary –

David Wildy, Anthony Tucker & Chris McDermott from FIVEaa for coverage of the SANFL
Preliminary Final

Best Character Photograph –

Ray Titus from The Advertiser for “The Future”

Best Radio Interview, Feature or News Report –

Phil Herden & Jason Evans from Life FM for “SANFL Broadcast to the World”

Best Print News Story –

Michelangelo Rucci from The Advertiser for “Doug Thomas – The Man Speaks”

Significant Achievement Award –

Doug Robertson from The Advertiser

Gold Media Award –

Michelangelo Rucci from The Advertiser

Doug Robertson was tonight presented the Significant Contribution Award. Doug received this award in
recognition his outstanding print media support of the SANFL for the past 15 years.

The SANFL’s Gold Media award, the highest accolade presented by the League to members of the media
was awarded to The Advertiser’s Chief Football writer, Michelangelo Rucci. Michelangelo was recognised
for his outstanding contribution to the coverage of football in South Australia for the past 28 years. The
Gold Media Award was last awarded in 2002 to Dennis Browne.

The SANFL thanks the SA Brewing Company for their sponsorship of this event and continued support of
the League.

The SANFL also thanked the media for their support throughout the year. Much of the League’s success
can be attributed to the media’s coverage of the competition.

[Rushby Hinds]

Congratulations to all the worthy winners

[PhilH]

Thanks Rusby (I think :) )

The LIFE FM award winning interview was actually with John The Claret pre-Grand Final.

What a great story and it helped us highlight this growing world-wide SANFL internet commmunity.

As mentioned on the night, my thanks to JTC for whom which there would be no interview and Wedgie who helped tee it all up.

Cheers, Phil Herden

[smac]

I echo your thoughts Rushby - congratulations to those worthy.

Some decisions beggar belief.

Many thanks to media outlets who fully support the SANFL each and every week.

[TroyGFC]

Rucci

[Wedgie]

Congrats to all especially our very own Phil H and JTC for being involved in one of the awards!

[stan]

Rucci

Yeah I was thinking the exact same thing.

[Dogwatcher]

Well done to the winners!

Especially PhilH, who's embraced the wonderful SANFL community that is online.

[smithy]

David Wildy, Anthony Tucker & Chris McDermott from FIVEaa for coverage of the SANFL
Preliminary Final

[zipzap]

Once again a disgraceful couple of award decisions that reward the fly by nighters and not the ones who do the hard yards. Personally I want to thank RPH - they deserve awards for getting up early to do the Monday and Wednesday SANFL shows, the Thursday League teams show and then of course the match calls.

How Chris McDermott can win any kind of award for the dribble that comes from his mouth is beyond me - much less for the calling of this year's SANFL finals which from the little I heard was nothing short of appalling and ill-informed.

[The Whisper]

Congratulations to Phil H and Jason Evans - well done on the only award that recognised community media. Great work also to Doug Robertson, very well deserved for so many years devoted to SANFL.

It must be very gratifying for people like 5AA to know that, each year, they can give the barest possible commitment to SANFL and still walk out winning an award each year. To say that choice slapped the bodies like RPH and Life FM straight in the face for their long standing, weekly commitment to the league, would be an understatement. Talk about sending a very, very clear message that the league is more concerned about keeping the "big names" happy, in the knowledge that the people who really, genuinely care - and get the player's names right - about the league, will still put the hours in every week and every year of the season because they care.

Rucci certainly deserved to be recognised for years of devotion to football - but whether it was to SANFL is another story to look at.

Looking at this, if someone is involved in community media, where the dollars for publicity etc simply aren't there, the message looks clear - don't bother too much about winning any of these awards, because it won't happen.

Disappointing.

[Brucetiki]

Best Commentary –

David Wildy, Anthony Tucker & Chris McDermott from FIVEaa for coverage of the SANFL
Preliminary Final

What a disgrace. Didn't they spent most of the finals saying 'A team Half-forward passing to A team Centre, tackled by B team, B team kicks away' because they didn't know the players names, and the SANFL deem that to be 'best commentary'. Also Chris McDermott doesn't commentate, he only whinges.

Are you sure this wasn't the 'worst commentary' award, because they're more deserving of that award than 'best commentary'

Shame SANFL

Shame, Shame, Shame

[arthur5038]

Was sitting next the RPH table last night and it wasn't pretty. Hope the SANFL isn't planning to lock in their role as a broadcaster anytime soon. May sound strange but I also think Doug Roberston was insulted by the way it all worked.

Last year Fiveaa / Seven / Advertiser got recognition for the Gladstone Appeal, a one off three month campaign with a very thin thread linked to the SANFL competition. Doug puts in 14 years and gets the same level of award?

Paul Blandis should have got the Significant Contribution Award, as he should have last year. Love or hate his style, his contribution is more than significant and as one individual probably contributes more than the combined efforts of all fiveaa and ABC Radio staff. Doug should have been given a proper send off with the Gold Media Award.

As for fiveeaa winning the commentary, I asked someone who & how this is judged. Basically everyone sends in just 3 minutes of commentary and one judge decides the best. Given their appalling efforts covering the SANFL this year, fiveaa should have been too ashamed to even put in a nomination.

[locky801]

Congratulations to all the worthy winners

Can't argue with that Rucci take a hike

[FlyingHigh]

Once again a disgraceful couple of award decisions that reward the fly by nighters and not the ones who do the hard yards. Personally I want to thank RPH - they deserve awards for getting up early to do the Monday and Wednesday SANFL shows, the Thursday League teams show and then of course the match calls.

How Chris McDermott can win any kind of award for the dribble that comes from his mouth is beyond me - much less for the calling of this year's SANFL finals which from the little I heard was nothing short of appalling and ill-informed.

"Fly-by-nighters" is a good way to descrive them, however Rucci's "passing of a legend" article was very good and a deserved winner IIRC.

[G]

The awards were for significant one of commentaries or articles weren't they. Therefore Doug doesnt get the Gold because hes been around for years, it goes to quality and the same with the RPH boys. We appreciate their efforts but realistically they are average or slightly above at best in quality.
I hate Rucci as much as the next bloke but he delivered in a couple of 1 off articles.

[Pseudo]

perhaps we need to inaugurate the "safooty.net media awards". These would certainly better reflect the fans' perceptions of where merit is deserved.

Oh and congrats PhilH

[Pseudo]

I hate Rucci as much as the next bloke but he delivered in a couple of 1 off articles.

Rooch deserved an award for one thing and one thing only: being the only "journalist" prepared to take a swipe at Fjeldstad after that ill-informed insult to SANFL history which appeard in the Sunday Mail.

Apart from that sterling effort, Rucci could not write articles of lower calibre even if he composed them by daubing dung on paper with a stick. I am convinced that he has nekkid photographs of the chief editor of the 'tiser. Nothing else could explain how he wears the mantle of "chief football editor", or whatever it is. (in My Personal Opinion only)

[Dogwatcher]

perhaps we need to inaugurate the "safooty.net media awards". These would certainly better reflect the fans' perceptions of where merit is deserved.

Oh and congrats PhilH

that would be a good move....but judging by the posts on this thread, there'd be a certain bias against certain journos/reporters just because of who they are. Would it be any fairer?

[JAS]

perhaps we need to inaugurate the "safooty.net media awards". These would certainly better reflect the fans' perceptions of where merit is deserved.

Oh and congrats PhilH

that would be a good move....but judging by the posts on this thread, there'd be a certain bias against certain journos/reporters just because of who they are. Would it be any fairer?

DW, on that basis no system would be fairer but I think having our own forum awards is a great idea. We already have a poll system that allows a single anonymous vote per person, which would make it about as fair as it could be. Imagine the kudos of being able to tell people that you are the safooty.net Broadcaster of the Year I say go for it

and congrats to PhilH

Regards
JAS